Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin is a public music university in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1950 as the Deutsche Hochschule für Musik in East Berlin. It offers bachelor's and master's degrees across all orchestral instruments, voice, conducting, composition, and electroacoustic music, with a semester fee of approximately 354 euros that includes a public transit ticket. The school trains approximately 500 students, with two thirds coming from abroad.
Notable Alumni
Hanns Eisler has produced a range of internationally recognized performers, conductors, and composers. Below are some of the most prominent graduates, with performance clips where available.
- Isabelle Faust - German violinist who has built an international career as a soloist and recording artist. She records for harmonia mundi and has received the Diapason d'Or and Echo Klassik awards. Here she performs Schumann's Violin Concerto in D Minor with the Gurzenich-Orchester Koln conducted by Francois-Xavier Roth, recorded live at the Cologne Philharmonie in February 2019:
- Sol Gabetta - Argentine-French cellist who studied at Hanns Eisler. She records for Sony Classical and received the Opus Klassik "Instrumentalist of the Year" award in 2019. She plays a 1717 Stradivari cello on loan from the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger. Here she performs Elgar's Cello Concerto at the BBC Proms, from the official BBC YouTube channel:
- Anna Prohaska - Austrian soprano who records for Deutsche Grammophon. She performs regularly at the Berlin State Opera, Salzburg Festival, and Bavarian State Opera. Here she sings Schubert's "Des Fischers Liebesgluck" from her album "Sirene," from the official Deutsche Grammophon YouTube channel:
- Vladimir Jurowski - Russian conductor who studied at Hanns Eisler. He was Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 2007 to 2021 and is now General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. He also holds positions with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia.
- Lahav Shani - Israeli conductor and pianist who studied at Hanns Eisler. He became Chief Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 2020 and also holds positions with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Kahchun Wong - Singaporean conductor who studied at Hanns Eisler. He became Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in 2018, one of the few Asian conductors to lead a major German orchestra.
Programs and Degrees
The school is organized into four departments. Department A covers voice, music theatre direction, production dramaturgy for music theatre, and lied interpretation for pianists. Department B covers strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), harp, and guitar. Department C covers woodwinds, brass, percussion, orchestra conducting, choir conducting, and correpetition. Department D covers piano, composition, historical and contemporary compositional technique, electroacoustic music, and chamber music.
Degrees offered include Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Konzertexamen (the highest performance qualification in Germany), and Junior Studies (pre-college program for gifted young musicians).
The school was named after composer Hanns Eisler, who taught composition at the school alongside Rudolph Wagner-Régeny when it opened in 1950. The first director was Professor Georg Knepler.
Notable faculty members include baritone Thomas Quasthoff (voice), soprano Christine Schäfer (voice), cellist Claudio Bohórquez, violinists Kolja Blacher and Antje Weithaas, cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, and pianist Kirill Gerstein. Two thirds of the student body comes from abroad, and the school maintains partnerships with the Jazz Institute Berlin (operated jointly with the University of the Arts Berlin) and the Kurt Singer Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Health.
Admissions and Tuition
Applications are submitted through the muvac online platform. For the Winter Semester 2026 to 2027, the application period for bachelor's, master's, Konzertexamen, and Junior Studies runs February 15 to April 8, 2026. Master Voice has a separate period from October 1 to December 31, 2025.
Auditions take place June 22 to 26, 2026 (first round for bachelor's, master's, and Konzertexamen). The second round for Konzertexamen follows on June 29, 2026.
For the Summer Semester 2027, the application period runs October 1 to November 8, 2026.
As a public German university, there is no tuition fee. Students pay a semester contribution of 353.80 EUR, which includes:
- StudierendenWERK Berlin social contribution: 85.00 EUR
- AStA student union fee: 8.00 EUR
- Administrative fee: 50.00 EUR
- Deutschlandsemesterticket (nationwide public transit): 208.80 EUR
- Social fund contribution: 2.00 EUR
The semester ticket alone is worth more than the total fee for students who use public transportation regularly.
Real-World Example
A student admitted to the bachelor's violin program at Hanns Eisler pays 353.80 EUR per semester, totaling 707.60 EUR per year. Over a standard eight-semester (four-year) program, the total cost is approximately 2,830 EUR. This includes a nationwide public transit ticket valid on all German buses, trams, subways, and regional trains. The student studies with faculty members who include working concert violinists like Antje Weithaas and Kolja Blacher. Compare this to a US conservatory charging $50,000 or more per year in tuition alone, and the total four-year cost difference exceeds $190,000.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
Hanns Eisler offers professional-level conservatory training at effectively no tuition cost. If you are an independent musician who can gain admission, the financial barrier is minimal. You pay roughly 354 EUR per semester, and that includes unlimited public transportation across Germany.
The school's location in Berlin places you in one of Europe's most active music cities. Berlin has three opera houses, multiple symphony orchestras (including the Berlin Philharmonic), and a large independent music scene. The school's faculty includes working musicians who perform with these ensembles, which creates networking opportunities.
The electroacoustic music program is worth noting for independent artists working in electronic music. It is one of the few programs at a traditional conservatory that formally teaches electroacoustic composition alongside classical training.
Admission is competitive. The school accepts a limited number of students per instrument and year. Prepare your audition repertoire carefully and apply within the specified windows, as late applications are not accepted.
Visit the official Hanns Eisler website for current audition requirements and application details.
Related Resources
- Music Schools Directory - Compare Hanns Eisler with other music schools
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Estimate streaming revenue while studying
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Income strategies for classical musicians
- Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician in 2026 - Career planning for conservatory graduates
Related Music Schools
- University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna - Another major German-language public music university with low fees
- University of Music and Theatre Munich - A leading Bavarian music university
- Karlsruhe University of Music - Another German public music institution
- Franz Liszt Academy - A historic conservatoire in Weimar, Germany
